So far the University of Michigan Solar Car team is having a great American Solar Challenge. Yesterday, the team started the second stage of the race in Neosho, Missouri with a 36 minute lead over the second place team from Principia College in Illinois. This afternoon, Michigan arrived at the endpoint for the stage, Sioux Falls, SD adding another hour to their lead. Tomorrow the teams get to relax, recharge batteries and do laundry before heading out for Winnipeg, Canada starting on Friday morning.

As I mentioned in the Day 1 post, check out the Friendfeed setup by Furqan Nazeeri to get the latest news from the American Solar Challenge.

As I mentioned in a previous post I used to do solar car racing at the University of Michigan and I still follow the races when the come up. Today, the American Solar Challenge (formerly known as Sunrayce) started in Plano, Texas, with teams competing in various stages of racing until they reach Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 22.

The first stage of the race is a quick run from Plano to Neosho, Missouri, and only Michigan and the team from Principia College completing it in one day. Tomorrow, the rest of the teams should arrive in Neosho, signifying the end of that stage of racing and moving on to the next stage, a rally style run to Sioux City, South Dakota.

To keep up with all news American Solar Challenge related, check out the Friendfeed setup by Furqan Nazeeri. Its a great place to keep up with the different team blogs and news outlets.

No, this is not about Toyota putting solar cells on a Prius. In a prior life (read about a decade ago) I was a part of the University of Michigan Solar Car Team from 1997 to 1999 and had a great time taking part in two races across the country against other North American university teams. This year the American Solar Challenge will have teams from North America and Europe compete in a rally-style race from Texas to Calgary, Alberta over ten days. You can follow the progress of Continuum, Michigan’s entry (see picture), from the team’s blog as well as the race in general through the American Solar Challenge Rayce Blog. With gas prices where they are today, its always great to see the innovations teams bring to help their vehicles get the checkered flag.